Dry-sand amalgamator.



No. 767,276. I v PATENTED AUG. 9, 1904.

P. J. HOYT. DRY SAND AMALGAMATOR APPLICATION FILED DEO.21, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented August 9, 1904.

FREDERICK J. HOYT, OF REDLANDS, CALIFORNIA.

DRY-SAND AIVIALGAMATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 767,276, dated August 9, 1904.

- Application filed December 21, 1903- Serial No. 186,010. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK J. How, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Redlands, in the county of San Bernardino and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dry- Sand Amalgamators, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part hereof, and which shows my said new device in elevation in its simplest form.

The object of my invention is to provide means to secure the fine and floured gold contained in the sands of dry or desert countries by making use of the cheapest and most abund ant power there is in such countriesnamely, that obtained from wind through a wind-engine. Therefore I construct for such purpose machinery wherewith in the use of said force, and particularly in connection with my improved amalgamator filed April 20, 1903, as Serial No. 153,800, I can secure the gold contained in the sand of said countries at a minimum of cost of both labor and material and wherewith steam or like engines cannot compete on account of the cost of bringing supplies to them.

My invention relates to that class of amalgamating machinery in which a wind-engine is employed to pump and condense air into a reservoir from which a piped air-current of required strength may be obtained to carry the auriferous sand from a reservoir or hopper onto my said automatically-acting amalgamator.

To attain said desirable ends, I construct my said new mechanism in substantially the following manner, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing and as hereinafter described, namely: My said new device consists of a windmill a, which is connected to an air-pump b, which compresses and discharges air through a pipe 0 into a reservoir (Z, from which it is released through a valved pipe 6, wherein it meets and mixes and carries with it astream of falling sand f, fed as from a hopper f, and said stream iscarried onward in said piped air-current until it is discharged through an oblong flaring nozzle 9, concentric at its opening with the surface of said floating sphere. Said sphere and bowl are surrounded by a chamber j, here shown in central vertical section. A fragment of the bowl and its stem are also shown in central vertical section. The pressurein the air-tank is raised to as high a tension as is necessary to carry the material in said piped air-current with sufticient force onto the amalgamator. The amalgamator to be used in connection with my said other mechanism is of spherical construction, as aforesaid, and is the only known device which can operate in combination with said thereto-connected machinery. The said mechanism consists of a hemispherical bowl 2'', in which is floated a sphere a, submerged in mercury k to or nearly to its axis. The mercury k substantially fills said bowl. The sand and air-blast strike and weight the said globe tangentially, so that the weight of the charge and, still more, both the weight of the charge and the force of the blast together cause the rotation of said'floated sphere. The surface of said sphere is made of material that will amalgamate, and consequently there is produced a surface well adapted to hold a large quantity of sand, always suflicient to easily cause the rotation of said floated sphere.

On account of its submersion, adjusted in its construction to float semisubmerged, as stated, the axle ends in their boxes have next to no friction, whereby the friction of the rotatin g sphere is practically reduced to that existing between the surface of said sphere and the mercury in which said sphere floats, the axle ends in their boxes serving mainly to keep the sphere equidistant from the rim of the bowl. The load thus deposited on said sphere causes it to revolve and to agitate and mix the auriferous sand with the mercury in the said bowl and to finally flow outward toward the rim of the bowl, over which it is engine, connected to operate, substantially as finally lifted by the fresh sand rising from hespecified.

low, and thus in said agitation every particle In testimony whereof I have signed this of gold is caught and held in said mercury and specification in the presence of two subscrib- 5 saved for use. ing witnesses.

i Vhat I. claim is The combination with an amalgamated mercury-floated rotary sphere, of a pipe, and noz- Zle thereto, to discharge on said sphere, an

IO air-reservoir, an air-compressor and an air- FREDERICK J. HOYT.

Witnesses:

A. M. HoYT, E. RAYMOND HoYT. 

